EIST - Enabling Interactive StoryTelling

EIST - Enabling Interactive StoryTelling - will develop a framework and tools to allow users to easily design immersive (AR/VR) media that encompass multiple paths via a branching narrative or story. VR material without branching narrative, where the view is passive has limited appeal to most people. We will develop an easy-to-use UI so that users can edit different scenes of a story as well as the overall structure. EIST will allow mixing of both 360 and CG footage as well as lightfield capture and handle specific media types such as event triggers. We will develop an open-format node-based framework to describe such branching stories as well as handling the export to various game engines to allow delivery of the immersive story to a range of target platforms along with WebVR. The product will be designed around the needs of various sectors (such as automotive, education, energy, cultural, design, construction) as well as the creative media sector. Thus it will also provide a much-needed toolset and framework for all sectors currently wanting to use AR or VR to improve productivity or generate new business models. This proposal will reduce the barrier to entry for content creators to enable easy use of this technology for a wealth of interactive scenarios from staff training to totally new user experiences.